The Real Downton Abbey Will Open As A Hotel

On Valentine's Day, Highclere Castle (the real name of  Downton Abbey) will be opening an on-site hotel called London Lodge (despite the name, the castle and its hotel are in Newbury, West Berkshire, not in London). The estate was built in 1793 and is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and has already been open to tourists for some time. There are organized Downton-themed tours that take tourists to see the building and grounds, but this will mark the first time that visitors can stay overnight.

"And while the period charm is intact, there are modern amenities in the hotel rooms, including TVs, Wi-Fi, mini-fridges, and electric kettles available.Rooms at London Lodge begin at £350 ($540) per night."

Ummm... this is really neat. I'm a fan of the show (not a wildly big fan, but a fan) and if I were ever near this castle - I'd likely want to go on one of those tours. Paying $540 a night seems a little nutty, but for any super fans this would be the best thing in the world, I'd imagine.

Under The Stars

It might be abnormal to choose this as one of the top three songs from The Lion King, I realize. But do you remember the scene when it first played? At night? 'Cause it was memorable as hell. Love this so much.

Jasmine

Twenty years ago today (December 29th, 1994), I met my dog Jasmine. I was nine years old and she was a Christmas gift from my parents. (Quick tip: If your kid wants a dog, wait until he/she is at least eight or nine. The younger they are, the weirder they treat dogs.) I named her Jasmine because I wanted her to be named after royalty (the princess in Aladdin) since my parents named me after the Queen of England. 

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If I wasn't home for dinner, she'd take my place.

She was with our family for almost ten years before she passed away in 2004 and this lady was the love of my life. Everyone who knew anything about me knew that I'd lose it for awhile when she died, and I did. I dropped out of college for a bit, sat in the dark a lot and just felt awful all the time. If that sounds dramatic to you - I'm sorry, but I was upset. Even now, if I'm in a certain kind of mood and I start thinking about her - watch out. 

I don't really even have a point to this post. I just realized what today was and wanted to mention it. If you come to this site to read any of my stuff, you often get a pretty good idea of the things I'm passionate about - so it seemed weirder for me not to mention this day. And if we're friends in real life and you didn't know about Jasmine - well, we definitely aren't as close as you might think 'cause EVERYONE knows about me and Jasmine. Or they should, anyway.

I know that it's probably not emotionally healthy to not completely move on ten years after a pet dies, but I don't know what to tell you. Maybe it's dumb, but sometimes I'll just say her name out loud so I can hear it and think for a split second that she never left. Fuck, I miss her.

Moral of this post? Don't love anyone 'cause they'll leave? Haha. No, but seriously don't.

I know I'm living a pretty lucky life, but I was lucky as hell to have a dog like her. After Jasmine died, my Ma said to me something along the lines of, "Yeah, this is awful. But at least now you don't have to be afraid of death since she'll be right there waiting for you when you pass away." And maybe it's abnormal to hear your grandmother discuss your own demise with you, but it helped me so much to have that thought in the back of my head for all these years. 

Thanks for reading, guys. 

“Eyebrow Tip: Don’t touch/tweeze/wax them until you’re 21. Trust me. Let them grow as much as they want to.”

— #lizadvice

Overnight French Toast Bake

I just made this for Christmas morning and it tasted INCREDIBLE. And I'm not even a breakfast person. If you have any sort of special occasion coming up (or even if you don't), you really should make this. It feeds a bunch of people (maybe 5-10) so keep that in mind. 

Ingredients

1 loaf sourdough bread
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

NOTE: There are two separate things that need to be refrigerated overnight.

1. Cut up the loaf into cubes and place evenly in a greased 9x13 pan (or something similarly sized).

2. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread.

3. Cover your pan with Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

4. Mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

5. Cut in butter with this mixture until crumbly and place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight as well.

6. In the morning, take the pan and Ziploc bag out of the fridge when ready to bake. Sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over the bread.

7. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.

Original recipe from Lil Luna.

Merry Christmas!

I'm not going to get weepy, but I have the best family in the world. I'm not sure how we got this lucky, but I'm thankful as hell for these creeps.

However you're spending today, I hope it's fantastic!

Mom Says

“Wearing new pajamas on Christmas Day is extremely lucky.”

The Polar Express Book

I can't accurately describe how it feels to look at that book cover above. I'll never be able to because it's too magical to express. I suppose it makes sense that I love it so much since Chris Van Allsburg can create such beautiful things.

If there's one book that I need to make sure your kid grows up with, it's this one. I might feel especially linked to it since it was released the year that I was born - or maybe it's just that image of snow at night. I will never fall out of love with the act of snow falling at night. 

We're all aware of the (somewhat creepy) animated version of the story that was made into a movie with Tom Hanks - but is it a good movie? That's up to you. I'll forever prefer the book. Please don't forget about the book!

(Sidenote: Keep an eye on your pets tonight.)

“Beauty is an enormous, unmerited gift given randomly, stupidly.”

— Khaled Hosseini, And the Mountains Echoed

Happy Birthday, Ma

Usually I don't devote an entire post to someone's birthday - but if you're my grandmother and you're turning 96 years of age? Get real. I gotta let the people know about that.

Look at this woman! She's amazing. The woman cut cane in the cane fields in Trinidad for decades! This woman had thirteen children! What the hell have YOU done?!

In any case, I'm lucky to know this woman and to have her give me so much love throughout my life. She spoils me more than anyone and tells me in private that she loves me more than my mother does. Simply put, she's the best there is. I'll live out the rest of my life trying to be as good as her.

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